


Reasons To Be Afraid In The Pegasus Galaxy

by respoftw



Series: Tumblr Prompts - McShep edition [23]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 11:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13787082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: Dialogue prompt: "Why are they afraid of you?"The marines are afraid of John.  Rodney wants to know why.





	Reasons To Be Afraid In The Pegasus Galaxy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Indescribable Feeling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13780806) by [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier). 



Rodney could feel his brain cells dying, one by one, as the staff meeting that wouldn't end dragged on into its third hour. The battery on his tablet computer had gone too far into the red to make an effective distraction after the first hour - a harsh lesson on why it was important to make sure the thing was fully charged at all times.

If he had to listen to the anthropologists talk for another second about the illuminating and wondrous recent discovery that the Ancients had used a five-pronged fork as their primary dining utensil over the four-pronged effort that was prevalent on Earth, Rodney was going to take one of those forks and - - _clear blue skies._ Rodney tried to settle his rising blood pressure as Carson gave him an unhappy side eye. The last thing he needed was the demented Scot pulling him in for a battery of tests when they finally got free of this meeting - assuming the meeting would ever end of course.

Dr Sadler eventually shut up about the damn forks and Woolsey moved on to the military contingent, opening the floor to Lt. Col. Lorne. Rodney's mind started to drift as Lorne began to talk about how the latest batch of marines were settling in. He hadn't quite decided on which daydream he'd disappear into - winning the Nobel prize and telling all his peers just how stupid they really were was a favourite that only came runner up to a particular fantasy he had that involved harem pants, kohl painted hazel eyes and a distinguished blue turban - when his attention was caught by something that Lorne said.

“Wait, what?” Rodney said, interrupting Lorne with a snap of the fingers. “I'm sorry but did you just say that the big, bad marines - the supposed best of the best - are afraid? Not of the Wraith - who they should be afraid of. You're telling me that they're afraid of John?”

“Hey,” John sat a little straighter in his chair at Rodney's disbelief. “I'll have you know that I'm an intimidating commanding officer.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Rodney agreed. “And I'm the Queen of Sheba. Why are they afraid of him?” he asked Lorne. Lorne didn't answer quickly enough so Rodney turned back to John. “Why are they afraid of you?”

John seemed as much at a loss to answer as Rodney was.

“Well, General Sheppard has accomplished a great deal during his time in the Pegasus Galaxy,” Woolsey diplomatically answered when no other response was forthcoming. “He was instrumental in thinning out the Wraith fleets to the few that still remain today. I'm sure there's a certain level of healthy awe that could be construed as fear.”

“There was that time he turned into a bug,” Ronon offered with a smirk. “That was pretty creepy if you ask me.”

“No one asked you,” John interrupted. “And I thought I told you to delete those photographs and stop showing them to the recruits.”

“There's also the time that he single handedly took out Kolya’s strike team during our first year,” Carson volunteered. “Well,” his voice faltered a bit, “the other Carson’s first year but you know what I mean.”

Rodney was glad to see Teyla reach over and squeeze Carson's arm at that, and even gladder to see Carson's watery smile. He made a mental note to spend some time fishing with Carson later this week. The whole clone thing was a hard road to walk and Rodney thought that he'd been doing better lately but sometimes it was one step forward, two steps back. He'd lost the other Carson, he was going to do everything he could not to lose this one too.

The rest of the table had seemed to warm to the subject of the many and varied reasons that the marines would be afraid of their military commander - Rodney blamed the boredom of Sadler’s fork presentation. Even Woolsey looked like he was enjoying himself. Although he had looked riveted by the fork discovery so that wasn't much of a litmus test.

Teyla had just very seriously suggested that perhaps it was the way Brigadier General Sheppard’s hair seemed to defy the very laws of physics that caused the marines to be uncomfortable when John had finally had enough.

“It's because of you, ok? They're scared of me because of you.”

It took Rodney a second to process that John was talking to him. “Me?” he repeated. “Why would they - -“

“You, ah, well you did rig the quarters of that one Sergeant last month to play the opening movement of Beethoven's Fifth every time he closed his eyes,” Lorne pointed out. “The poor guy didn't get any sleep for three days.”

“The poor guy accidentally hit John in the face with his P-90 during field training! He was bruised for a week!” Rodney defended himself before quickly backtracking as Woolsey looked at him. “I mean, not that I had anything to do with that at all. We all know how much Atlantis loves John. And, really, he could have just found someone to bunk with before he was so exhausted he fell off the pier while patrolling.”

“No one would let him stay with them in case you - I mean, Atlantis,” Lorne quickly corrected, “decided to mess with them too.”

“You control the hot water too,” Ronon smirked.

“As more than a few of the marines have found out,” Teyla agreed.

“Marines who don't pay close enough attention to keep their General from almost getting shot by an arrow don't deserve hot water,” Rodney grumbled.

Woolsey cleared his throat. “Perhaps we can get Dr McKay - or Atlantis - to promise that there will be no more retribution for slights to the General’s welfare? At least while the new marines are settling in.”

Rodney opened his mouth to refuse but John kicked him in the shins underneath the table. As Rodney turned his head to yell at him, his eyes caught on the plain gold band around John's left ring finger, the overhead lights glinting off it as John flexed his hand.

“Fine,” Rodney snapped. _The things he did for his husband_. “They get a one month” - another kick - “fine, a three month grace period. Unless they actually put him in the infirmary and then all bets are off.”

Woolsey seemed to understand that was the best he would get. “Agreed,” he said. “Now, can we move on?”

Lorne hastily wiped the smirk from his face as he continued on with his report. Rodney sat back in his chair with a sigh and resumed counting down the seconds until the meeting ended. He felt another kick under the table and turned to glare at John. John’s hand was held out to him under the table, a small power pack in his hand. Rodney quickly snatched the power pack from John and plugged it into his tablet, smiling in victory when the battery started to charge.

“You can make it up to me later,” John’s IM pinged up on his messaging screen now that the screen wasn't dimmed to darkness.

Rodney felt a little flutter of anticipation in his belly.

God, he hoped this meeting ended soon.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Rodney's fantasy is inspired by Brumeier's excellent fic: "Indescribable Feelings" which I read this morning and haven't been able to stop thinking about! Bru, I hope you don't mind I stole it for this Rodney's fantasy!


End file.
